Trapped
by WiseGryffindor
Summary: WARNING CHILD ABUSE! Fleur Delacour and her younger sister Gab are trapped in an abusive and terrible world.


**WARNING CHILD ABUSE**

**Fleur Delacour**

**Chess set**

**Old Photo**

**Caraval — Stephanie Garber (Plot point - abusive father)**

"No Father don't punish her! It was me not her!" Fleur Delacour yelled at her father as he struck her younger sister across the face. Gabrielle fell to the floor, a red mark marring her beautiful face. Her father raised his foot to kick Gabrielle but Fleur jumped in front of her sister taking the blow for her. Fleur crumpled to the ground before her father, his foot digging into her stomach. Tears filled her eyes but she was unwilling to let them fall. She would cry for her sister and all that she had lost as the innocent little girl she was, but never herself.

_Damn it, Gab! _Fleur internally screamed, crumpling into a ball. She hated her reaction, showing weakness made her father worse. Hands grabbed at her wrists and ankles. Her father's arms crossed over his chest his hands clenched into meaty fists. Roughly her father's guards dragged her towards her father, his eyes had an angry red tinge. The blood vessel in his neck throbbing.

"How dare you defy me!" Spit flew into her face. Fleur's eyes fell to the floor, she was done fighting today. She knew that she would fight tomorrow and again the day after with the same result. When they were finally done with Fleur she was left in a clump on the floor. Her back covered in angry red welts with a few places where her father had broken through the skin. She crawled over to her sister who lay still on the floor trying not to be seen.

"Gab," Fleur whispered, "Gab they are gone." Gabrielle raised her head to look into her sister's bright blue eyes. Tears dripped from Gabrielle's eyes when she saw the state of her sister.

"Fleur, why does he do this to us? We are his family, shouldn't he love us? Protect us?" Gabrielle asked her sister quietly.

"I don't know, he is twisted and cruel, but before mom died he was different, he was caring, he was protective, he loved us."

"But he doesn't now."

"Gab, it will be fine. In a few short weeks, we will be off to Beauxbaton." Fleur held her sister reassuringly. With Gabrielle's help, Fleur made her way to her bedroom. Fleur drifted into sleep her younger sister sitting beside her, watching. Her dreams were vivid images of a better world, where she and her sister were free. Then they changed to something darker, her father sat across from, a figure cloaked in shadows, between them sat a chessboard. Fleur vaguely recognized the pieces, her father the king. The Queen was nowhere to be seen, the pawns all resembled herself or Gab. She recognized a few of the other pieces as the guards and some of her father's friends. She watched her father sit contemplating his next move. He moved a pawn that resembled her forward, his opponent quickly destroying the pawn, shattering the pieces across the board. Fleur turned away from her father fearing his reaction but turning away didn't stop her from hearing his deep laugh.

"I guess we all have our battles to fight, but that doesn't mean we should make others fight harder. I'm going to teach Gab that," Fleur thought to herself.

—

"Fleur, please wake up, he's coming," Gabrielle whispered, trying to wake her older sister up. Their father hated it if they were sleeping when he came to see them, it always ended in a beating for the two sisters. Fleur's eyes flickered open. Fleur swung her legs over the edge of the bed, standing up and wobbling slightly. With precise motions, she made her bed before standing beside her sister at the door, who was waiting for her. Her shoulders slumped and she cowered away from the door while still standing next to it.

"My darling Fleur, you left this picture behind earlier. I thought you might want it back," Father whispered, his voice echoing in the silent room. He held out a worn photograph between his fingers. Fleur's eyes darted down. Gabrielle looked confused. With deliberate motions, their father ripped the puzzle into tiny little pieces. He dropped them on the floor, stepping on them as he left. Fleur dropped to her knees trying to gather the pieces of the most valuable thing she owned. Cupping her hands, she picked up the pieces and brought them to her bed, Gabrielle following closely behind.

"Gab, never let the battle you fight within harden the people around you," Fleur whispered to her sister. Gab just looked confused.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The pieces fit together like a puzzle, some of them torn too small to see. Fleur brought the pieces together, taping them with a little bit of cello tape, just enough to keep it tighter until school started and she got her wand back. When all was said and done Fleur looked down at the last picture of her mother she had.

The picture worn from time was bleak to anyone who didn't know the significance. A young woman held a tiny girl in her arms sitting in a bed. The picture no longer moved like it used to. It was still like a muggle picture. With her mother smiling holding a crying newborn child. Her mother's eyes still bright even in the faded photo. The newborn's eyes darker but still vibrant shade. A window showed a wonderful autumn world outside. Beautiful trees with their colourful leaves of autumn. It was a reminder of a time where she along with her sister were loved and valued. A silent tear fell from her eye.

"Is that you and Mom?" Gabrielle asked her sister.

"No, it's you and Mom," Fleur responded, "the two most important people to me."

"What happened to Mom, you never told me?" Gabrielle asked. Fleur felt tears swell in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it.

"I'll tell you when your older," Fleur finally said. Gabrielle turned to walk to her bed then turned back to her older sister.

"Okay, I'm older," Gabrielle said. Fleur let out a laugh, shaking her head at her younger sister's antics, but that didn't stop the tears from falling.


End file.
